Using public potties

My girls are 3.5 years old and potty trained. At home they have a potty seat on the toilet so it is more "their size" and they use it fine by themselves. The situation I am dealing with now is pottying at a public place. They are afraid of falling in and will only use the potty if I sit on it with them (I think they feel more secure that way because the potty hole is not so big.) I'd like for them to sit on the potty alone without me, especially since next year I plan on putting them in preschool and they will need to use the potty without a seat or someone sitting on it with them. Any advice?

 

I had to carry a potty in my van for a year because my girls refused to use a public potty. To this day, they will look the potty over before they decide to use it. If it's too dirty or too big, they'll hold it until we find another potty.

 

My DS has been PT-ed for over year and is still terrified of using public potties because he is afraid he is going to fall in. If we are going out and going to be gone for a while, I will bring his little potty seat. My DD was PT-ed about 6 or 7 months before she started using the public potty.

 

This: Potty

This was a lifesaver when I was training my boys. It does not leave my car actually. The great thing about it is that it can be a stand alone seat-where they have bags you attach to the seat that the child goes in. OR-it acts as a seat on top of the regular toilets. Best money spent!

 

I held the girls for the longest time, and sometimes still do. Basically, they sat onthe toilet and I stood in front of them and held them like a hug almost, or under their arms. Then, they got used to sitting normally and then was able to sit by themselves. Our only problem now are automatic flushers. We are working on that, they like to cover the sensor while the other one goes!

 

Exactly what I do.

 

For the automatic flushers, put some sticky notes in your purse and stick one over the sensor. I read that somewhere. . .this forum!

 

I am amazed at all of you who have kids who hate public potties. My oldest son LOVED every single restroom and if he found out a place had one, he had to visit it even if he didn't have to go. We;ve admired a lot of graffiti and goo together.

 

this! my kids are not shy in public AT ALL!! I even have kids that will poop in public!

 

We have the travel potty Meaghan linked to (it's brilliant, although I have to say I haven't used it on a big toilet, just as a potty), and then we also have a folding seat very similar to this one but without the handles. It's good because it folds up pretty small, I just keep it in a plastic bag and then pop it into whichever bag I'm taking out if I might need it.

As a side note I wouldn't worry about pre-school. I've yet to find a pre-school that didn't have child size toilets.

 

I'm still trying to figure out how you can sit on a toilet with them...

anyway, mine use the toilet at home w/o any potty seat, and have not problems with public toilets. I'd almost just start at home and start getting them to sit w/o the potty seat ... but like the others said about preschools - most I've seen have cute little toilets!

I also have the Potette Plus Potty - it is awesome. when you use it standalone you can use free grocery bags and cheap women's maxi pads that you get on sale.

 

Maybell - LOL about the sitting on the potty with them. I sit on the toilet and scoot all the way to the back and they sit in front of me, in the little space between my legs.

 

Never in my life would it have occurred to me to do that. I do hold Spencer when he's going in a public potty, just because I don't want him to put his hands all over the seat. But at home he can sit on the toilet just fine all by himself, though he does need a stool to get up on it. He got the hang of that much younger than any of my kids, I think. He's not even 2 1/2. But there is this option... http://www.pottytrainingconcepts.com/CTGY/Folding-Potty-Seats.html Maybe something like that would work for you. I'm sure any preschool will have small potty seats for the kids. I would be very surprised if they didn't.